Joining the conversation about whether programming on streaming platforms is too racy for Indian sensibilities, actor Ameesha Patel made some homophobic comments in a recent interview. She was promoting her upcoming film Gadar 2, which she said retains the core essence of the first film, which was released in 2001.
Ameesha told Bollywood Hungama in an interview that audiences are hungry for ‘clean’ entertainment’, which cannot be found on OTT platforms. She said that content on streaming is ‘full of homosexuality’, which she likened to material that forces parents to put child locks on their televisions.
She said, “People are waiting for good, clean cinema. The era where you could make cinema that a grandchild could sit and watch with a grandparent is completely missing. OTT for sure doesn’t give you that. Because OTT is full of, homosexuality, gay-lesbianism… Scenes that you have to cover your kids’ eyes or actually put a child lock on your television so they can’t access those platforms. It’s not something you really want your kids to watch.
Ameesha said that Bollywood has always been synonymous with escapist entertainment. “Indians couldn’t travel that much, we didn’t have that much fashion. Everything that you wanted was through cinema… We didn’t even have an organised music industry. You depended on film music; costumes, fashion, everything came from cinema, and I think people are missing that essence. Gadar, they feel, is an answer to that,” she added.
She said that the filmmakers have to tried to retain the ‘essence’ of the first film in Gadar 2. “It’s got the family values, it’s got the heart-wrenching moments, the great action, the dialogues, the music; everything you expect from Gadar is there.” Gadar 2 is scheduled to be released in theatres on August 11, a full 22 years after the first film became a runaway blockbuster.
